Tension-reel for cables.



No. 756,683. PATENTBD APR. 5, 1904; J. A. MOSHE.

TENSION REEL FOR GABLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1903.

1T0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE Nonms Perms co, PHOTOJIIIHOQ WHHINGYON. o. c.

PATENTED APR. 5, 1904.

J. A. MOSER. V TENSION REEL FOR GABLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: 'INVENTOR W ,A MA /Ma Patented April 5, 1904.

UNITnp STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

JACOB A. MOSER, OF BERNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PETER J. BAUMGARTNER, OF BERNE, INDIANA.

TENSION-REEL FOR CABLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentATO. '7 56,683, dated April 5, 1904.

Application filed July 10, 1903. Serial No- 164,976. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J ACOB A. MosnR, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Berne, in the county of Adams, in the State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tension-Reels for Cables; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tension-reels for cables, specially designed and adapted for use upon the pneumatic strawstacker shown and described in my patent of March 10, 1903, No. 722,451.

The object of my present invention is to provide an improved means for shifting the hood of a pneumatic straw-stacker by slightly rotating the same in either direction.

My invention consists of a pair of windingdrums containing coiled or helical springs, by means of which they are operatively connected to their respective shafts, a bracket supporting the said drums and shafts, sprocket-wheels arranged upon the inner ends of the shafts, and means for operating the drums independ ently of each other and of the respective shafts by hand.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side View of the same, taken at right angles to Fig. 1 and showing the relative arrangement of the operative parts. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the winding-drums in vertical central section, showing the relative arrangement of the coiled spring therein and with the'supporting-bracket broken away in part. Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the drums with the outer head removed and the inner partition-plate broken away in part to show the coiled spring.

The supporting-bracket, which is rigidly mounted upon one side of the tubular strawstacker in any proper manner, as shown in the above-described patent, is formed of a pair of upright parallel plates 1 and 2, rigidly united by the end plates 3 and 4 and the brace or. cross-piece 5, Fig. 1, and a third plate 6, sub,

stantially parallel with the plates 1 and 2 and united to the former at or near the middle of its length by the brace 7 The opposite ends of the plate 6 have an annular termination and are adapted to support the outer ends of the respective drums in the manner about to be described.

In suitable hearings in the plates 1 and 2 and near the opposite ends thereof are loosely mounted the short horizontal shafts 8 and 9, whose inner ends are loosely arranged in a central boss 10 on the outer drum-heads, respectively, as shown in Fig. 3. These "central bosses 10 of the outer drum-heads fit loosely within the respective annular ends of the plate 6, as shown, and are provided with screw-threaded extensions 11, upon which are fixed by a screw-threaded connection the upper and lower cranks 12 and 13, respectively, each of which has a proper handle 14 and an oppositely-extended weighted arm 15. These cranks are secured in position by means of a proper nut 17. The boss 10 and the extension 11 thereof are slightly extended for the lower drum 16, and the crank 13 and the weighted arm 15 are bent outwardly to keep clear of the line of travel of the upper crank 12 and its weighted arm 15. The drums 16 and 18 are identical in construction excepting the extension of the boss 10, as described, and consist of a rear head 19, having a fixed or integral perimeter 20 upon its inner face, Fig. 3, and a removable outer head 29, secured thereto by the screws 21 or other proper manner.

On a proper shoulder 23 on the inner face of the perimeter 20 is rigidly secured a ciroular plate 24, forming a circular chamber for the coiled spring 25, which has its outer end secured to the drum by apin 26 and has its inner end fixed to the shaft 8, whereby the drums can be rotated in either direction to limited extent without causing any rotation of the shafts 8 or 9 for the purpose hereinafter described.

To the shafts 8 between the plates 1 and 2 are rigidly fixed the sprocket-wheels 27,

adapted to be actuated by a driving-chain.

(Not shown.) 1

i To the perimeter 20 of the drums 16 and 18, respectively, are secured the rear end of the operating-ropes 28, whose forward ends are secured to the rotatable hood of stacker, as described in the above-mentioned patent.

The operation and manner of employing my invention thus described is obvious and. briefly stated, is as follows: The hood-shifting ropes (not shown) have their inner ends fixed to the perimeter of the respective drums 16 and 18, the said drums having been previously rotated on their respective shafts by hand until the contained coiled springs are adjusted to the proper or desired tension. The adjacent ends of the said ropes are then wound upon the respective drums until all the slack thereof is taken up, after which their ends are secured, as above stated. It is obvious that when the said hood -shifting ropes, fully shown and described in the abovementioned patent, are thus wound upon the drums they cannot rotate under the influence of their contained spring, because they are held from rotating rearwardly by the sprocketchain which is to be mounted on the sprocketwheels 27, as described, and are prevented from rotating forwardly under the tension of the said springs by the said ropes, which are secured thereto. It is apparent that I have by eliminating the meshing gears, hand-lever, retractile springs, and two-part shafts of the tension-reels shown in the above-mentioned patent greatly simplified the construction and operation of tension-reel devices. When the operator desires to shift the stacker-hood to the right, he operates the crank 12 to the right, thereby winding up the operating-cable thereon. This he can do without rotating the shaft 8, since the drum 18 is loosely mounted thereon. When he desires to shift the hood in the opposite direction, he rotates the lower drum 16 in the opposite direction by means of the, crank 13, thereby winding up the, cable thereon without rotating the shaft 9. My arrangement of spring-drums thus keeps the cables taut at all times and can be operated by hand to a certain limit without rotating the shafts 8 and 9 or the sprocket-wheels thereon.

Having thus described my invention and the manner of employing the same, what I desire to'Secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the class specified, a pair of horizontal shafts in substantial vertical alinement loosely mounted in an upright supporting-bracket; sprocket-wheels fixed upon said shafts at or near the inner end thereof; winding-drums loosely mounted upon said shafts, having an operating-crank upon their outer face, and having a helical spring therein with one end secured to the drum and the other end fixed to the shaft, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus of the class specified an upright supporting-bracket; a pair of horizontal shafts loosely mounted therein in vertical alinement; sprocket-wheels fixed upon said shafts at or near their inner end; windingdrums provided with a spring-chamber and a removable head, and loosely mounted on the said shafts; helical or coiled springs arranged in said chamber, having their outer end secured to the drum and the other end to the shaft; and a crank or operating handle fixed upon the outer head of the said drums respectively. a.

Signed by meat Berne, Adams county, State of Indiana, this 6th day of July, 1903.

JACOB A. MOSER. Witnesses:

E. A. LUGINBILL, ARNOLD SIMON. 

